Jacob was born with a Congenital CMV infection to the brain.
Meaning sections of the brain had actually calcified and could not develop properly. He was given a 60% chance of survival. At 9 months of age, Jacob was diagnosed with severe spastic Cerebral Palsy, affecting all four of his limbs. Today, Jacob is a beautiful 6 year old , but unlike most little boys his age, Jacob is unable to sit, stand or walk without support.
Although Jacob is unable to speak he manages to communicate with sounds, eye contact and body language. Due to the very high tone that affects Jacobs body, he is unable to eat like we do, and now has a gastroscopy, which is a button in his stomach, through which he is feed by a tube. Jacob also suffers from severe epilepsy, which is mainly triggered off by illness and the heat. Due to Jacob being wheelchair bound, his body lacks exercise and as a result he doesn’t sleep much. He can wake anywhere from 2 – 12 times a night – exhausting everybody! (more…)